432 Tokyo Tom

Konnichiwa from Tokyo! Tom is back in Japan for the first time in 11 years, broadcasting from the Mustard Hotel in the vintage shops and record-store-filled neighborhood of Shimokitazawa. This first dispatch from Japan is about returning to a place that left a lasting mark on his life. Tom reconnects with comedian friends he met more than a decade ago, performs at the Tokyo Comedy Bar, and finally gets inside a Japanese baseball stadium after once traveling all the way to Osaka only to spend two nights listening to sold-out Hanshin Tigers games from outside. There are rainy Tokyo adventures, strangers coming to the rescue, gifts for people who touch his heart, Japanese cultural curiosities, samurai jokes that work much better in Japan, and the extraordinary experience of watching baseball with thousands of fans singing and chanting as one. Tom is also traveling through Japan with history on his mind. Reading about Babe Ruth's legendary 1934 tour of Japan and Emperor Hirohito leads him into the nationalism and militarism of 1930s Japan, the road to Pearl Harbor and World War II, and some bigger thoughts about what can happen when too much power is concentrated in one person. Baseball, comedy, friendship, history, vintage T-shirts, Tokyo rain, and 11 years of memories coming full circle. Tom's Japanese adventure is just getting started. Hooray for humanity! We're dropping new episodes every Thursday-ish. Connect! Be part of the Rhodesies team and get goodies: https://patreon.com/tomrhodessmartcamp https://patreon.com/ashnarodjan More Tom https://www.instagram.com/_TomRhodes More Ashna https://www.instagram.com/ashnarodjan About Smart Camp podcast Tom Rhodes Smart Camp is a festival of ideas, knowledge, stories, books & adventures.